Rabies coming to Oz unlikely, says govt

Australia is ready to fight an outbreak of rabies, but the risk of the deadly disease spreading from Indonesia to the Northern Territory is very low, the federal government says.

Bali is in the midst of a dog vaccination program following a number of human deaths in Indonesia from rabies as a result of dog bites.

The virus, which is highly contagious and causes inflammation of the brain, is believed to have been introduced to Bali when a fisherman brought an infected dog to the island.

Australia is free of rabies, but experts fear the epidemic may somehow be carried to areas around the Top End, which are closest to Bali, then spread rapidly in unprotected dog populations around settlements, towns and in the wild.

Measures to prevent that from occurring include biosecurity officers, who are based on all islands in the Torres Strait, ensuring there is no movement of animals between Papua New Guinea and northern Torres Strait islands, a spokesman from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) said.

"The risk of rabies occurring in Australia is very low, but it can never be zero, and it is important to maintain robust biosecurity measures to prevent its entry into Australia," the spokesman said in a statement on Thursday.

It is illegal for dogs to be imported from Indonesia to Australia.

Legally imported dogs from other countries are subject to treatment protocols and quarantine periods "that virtually eliminate" the risk of rabies, the spokesman added.

There are no plans to pre-emptively vaccinate stray dogs in the Top End, but the health of pet dogs in remote indigenous communities is receiving close attention.